A HANYOU'S LIFE
by DarkDynasty
Summary: Life through Inuyasha's eyes and mind.
1. Chapter 1

My Life…

CHAPTER ONE

The sun was setting… good. That meant she would be back soon. I waited patiently. Well as patiently as I usually am anyway. On top of the highest branch of the tree where we had first met I sat and listened. The forest was quiet and a slight breeze ruffled my clothes. I shifted so my hair wouldn't obstruct my vision of the direction in which she would come. Minutes passed, and then hours… she was late again! What the hell was she doing this time? No… screw it… there was no good excuse for her being late this time. I gathered myself and leapt off my perch that I had been waiting in. As soon as I landed my feet dug into the ground and I sprinted off to get her.

The well came into view. Perched on its edge was a little fur ball. I slowed to a brisk walk and sat down by the little mess of hair. From the steady breathing I could guess he was asleep. I lowered my face to his ear, "Oy, Shippou!" The ball came to life and scrambled away towards the other end of the ledge. After a second the scrambling stopped and he turned around, red in the face.

"Ah, Inuyasha! What's your problem scaring me like that! I should kick…"

I silenced him with a fist over his fluffy head. I never actually liked picking on Shippou, but he needed to learn not to sleep on the edge of the well. He might fall in. It wasn't as if I derived pleasure from hitting the little guy…. Well, not much at least.

"Shut up and go tell the others I'm gonna go to Kagome's time to get her. That damn girl thinks she can take forever and it's really pissing me off."

Shippou looked up at me with little angry eyes. "Hey Inuyasha, don't go picking another fight with her! It's not her fault that you're impatient!"

Another smack sent Shippou careening off the ledge. I heard him skid to a halt on the ground as I let myself fall backwards off the ledge and into the dark pit of the well. Right before I hit the ground, a bright light engulfed me and I fell deeper into the well than one would usually go.

I'll never get used to this.

Seconds later I touched down on the bottom. I looked up out of the well and saw what appeared to be a yellow rock coming down fast. In the instant that I blinked it crashed down on my head, feeling like a ton of bricks against my face. Then it was dark.

"Inuyasha?" I knew that voice.

"umm… Inuyasha… are you ok?" That was Kagome's voice. Why did it sound so far away? I sat up and felt a forceful weight lift off my upper body. Opening my eyes I first saw the yellow rock, which now I realized had been Kagome's backpack, and Kagome sitting beside me. Her beautiful dark brown eyes were looking at me with a hint of concern surrounding them. Her lower lip was trembling slightly and her fragrance was all around me. I inhaled the sweet scent and smiled inwardly. Her scent was very pleasing. I looked at her for another second. She was a beauty to behold. Sitting there in a dignified pose with her silky legs tucked underneath her and her hands on her knees. She was perfect. I realized that I had been staring for more than just a second, it had been more like ten now. I blinked again, inhaled her alluring scent once more, and got up.

"Damn it woman, what are you trying to do, kill me!"

Her nose crinkled up like how it always did when she was angry. It was cute. "It's not my fault that you suddenly came through the well! Had you come earlier you could have helped me instead of me having to drag this heavy thing all the way to the well house!"

My ears flinched. I hated when she screamed at me. I wanted to apologize for yelling, wanted to tell her that it was ok and that from now on I would always come and help her with her burden of a bag. I wanted to comfort her.

"Well you didn't have to fucking through it off the ledge that hard! I swear it's like you knew I was down here!"

Yep, it was another argument. We had these regularly. They couldn't be avoided. I looked at her angry face and almost faltered in my glare. She just looked too adorable when she was upset. "Oh, so I did this on purpose! Do you think I like dragging this heavy ass bag all the way over here!" She was pointing at the overstuffed bag. It did look extremely heavy. I looked away.

"Keh! Whatever. Let's just go." I instinctively grabbed for the backpack and ended up with my hand on top of Kagome's. Apparently she thought I was that big of a jerk that I wouldn't help her. I looked up at her. Her face had softened and a tint of red was covering her cheeks. She quickly removed her hand and looked away. Good. That way she wouldn't see me blushing. I pulled the bag over my shoulder and looked up. I had been unconscious when we shifted back to my time. I knew because the night sky could be seen overhead instead of the roof of the well house back in Kagome's time. I grabbed Kagome by the waist, pulled her blushing form close and jumped out of the well in one step. Outside I set her down gently.

"Kagome!"

The tiny fur ball was about to tackle Kagome when I reached out a hand and grasped its tale.

"Ah, Inuyasha! Let me go!"

I set him down on the ground a little harder than usual. "You could have pushed her into the well baka."

Shippou looked at the well and looked at Kagome's form standing directly in front of him. He seemed to get what I meant for a bit, but then forgot completely when a lollipop appeared in front of him. "Here you go Shippou, just like I promised. Kagome was smiling at him. I looked away, a bit jealous of the attention Shippou was getting. I looked on and saw Miroku, Sango, Kirara, and Kaede walking this way, all of them carrying lamps.

Oh yeah, I had told Shippou to let everyone know I was going back to get Kagome.

"Welcome back child."

"Hey Kagome-chan."

"I trust your trip was pleasant, Kagome-sama."

"Meow"

Kagome returned the greetings individually and we set out back to Kaede's village. Kirara nudged my foot as if offering to help with the bags, but I just gave her a tiny shake of the head and a quick scratch behind the ears. I was careful to make sure no one saw me. On the way back we stopped a few times on account that Kaede was a bit slow until I just got frustrated and propped her on my back next to the yellow bag.

"You're too kind Inuyasha."

"Yeah, whatever old woman, just don't get too comfortable. I'm not a horse ya know."

Everyone had a little laugh at my expense, which I made up for by kicking Miroku in the shin.

"Ah! Inuyasha! Why'd you only hit me!"

"Shaddup monk"

At Kaede's hut we ate a dinner that consisted mostly of ramen and then got down to business. I sat cross-legged around the fire with the others and listened as they repeated things that I already knew, brought up things that I didn't know, and discussed other things that I didn't even care about. Most of the time I sat there hating it. I hated their ideas, hated their stories, hated their solutions, and I hated their calm faces as they talked about Naraku slipping away time after time. I sat there up until they started talking about the latest disturbance of demons in the villages around Kaede's. At that point I stood up and made to walk out.

"Inuyasha-sama, don't you want to hear this?" Miroku's calm voice was very irritating. I waved a hand carelessly in the air.

"Why bother. You just tell me what to kill when the time comes. I don't really care about the specifics. Oh, and in case you've forgotten, we're supposed to be hunting down Naraku instead of sniffing out some pitiful second rate demons around the area. I'm going outside."

With that said I pushed the sheet Kaede used as a door aside and walked into the forest.

I was sitting up in the god tree until late at night. I could still hear their voices in my head.

"_Yes, it appears that Naraku has eluded us once again."_

"_There was a demon attacking a few villagers not too far away from here, maybe we should head that way."_

"_That's sounds like a good idea Sango. There might be a clue as to Naraku's whereabouts there or on the way."_

"_You must be careful when you walk into strange villages. I have heard from many people in the village about a demon that wanders into abandoned villages and then awaits travelers to feed upon their souls."_

Idiots! Every last one of them! Why couldn't they realize that while we were playing hero Naraku was crawling farther and farther away from us.

I sighed heavily. Maybe I was over reacting… Just a little. It's just that I never felt as helpless as I did when I was sitting around the fire with them. I felt useless. Miroku had his knowledge, Sango had her demon expertise, Kaede had her little information network of "hear say", and Kagome always offered positive insight as well as a few good plans. I was about as needed as Shippou in those conversations. There was only one use for me. A use that made me feel alive, important, and needed amongst my human companions. Only one use that brought me from the back of the line to the very front….

… Battle.

I was the fighter of the group. With the tessaiga that my father passed down to me long ago I was the ruler of the battlefields. My giant fang-shaped sword carved the way through many demons on our journey. It carved me a new passageway…. a passageway towards Naraku.

I looked down when her scent reached my nose. She was close by. I jumped off the branch I had been sitting on and felt my legs lurch my body instinctively towards her direction. Tree branches and plants fell prey to my claws as I ripped a path towards her. I jumped over a mass of grid locked bushes and ended up almost face to face with her. My mind went blank.

… Kikyou…

"You look well Inuyasha."

I stood there unable to move. Why was she here?

"Yeah, well chasing after Naraku is a good exercise" I answered. A cold smile appeared on her pale face.

"I see you are still bent on destroying him." It was my turn to smile. I shrugged.

"Ain't got anything else to do."

Her features were strong as usual but her eyes, like Kagome's showed her emotions. They carried so much sadness that I could hardly bear to look at her.

"Why are you here?"

She gave me an indignant glare. "I will travel to wherever I please thank you very much."

"Honestly Kikyou… are you here for my help?" I cared very much for Kikyou. She had been my very first love. I didn't particularly like her chasing after Naraku. I knew how dangerous it was and without me to protect her I feared that she might get hurt. She might just be a soul in a clay body… but she was still the Kikyou that I had fallen in love with.

"I came to see my sister and when I saw that your friends were at her hut I knew that you wouldn't be too far off."

"Yeah… they have me on a short leash alright." I tugged on the rosary around my neck.

"I just wanted to see that you were doing ok Inuyasha. I wouldn't want you to go and get yourself killed. You are coming to me with hell after all remember?"

I laughed. "Fat chance. I have a demon to kill." I unsheathed my tessaiga and rested it on my right shoulder. Kikyou smiled at me. It was a smile that I hadn't seen in years. "Inuyasha." Her face suddenly became strong again and the sadness in her eyes returned. "Are you happy with my reincarnation?"

I looked at her. There really was no right answer to that question as far as I was concerned. "We fight a lot."

Her smile returned. "Well you shouldn't. Kagome is very strong… but like me… her emotions are very fragile."

I cocked an eyebrow and looked at her in confusion. "I doubt you came here to give me relationship advice."

Kikyou looked at me carefully. "Tell Kaede-chan that I came by and that I'll be back this way in about two days. Tell her to expect me" She turned to leave, "Oh, and Inuyasha… don't tell her in front of your friends."

With that she walked away into the shadows of the night. I stood there for a moment, and then tried to cal out to her. "Oy Kikyou! Why can't I tell her in front of them!" But the only answer I received was the ruffling of my haori in the cool midnight breeze. I turned around and walked back to the village, sheathing my tessaiga before I started out. It gave me time to think.

It had been so long since I had seen Kikyou smile like that. I took that image and put it somewhere special. Why did she want t speak to Kaede? Had she been coming to the village while we were gone? If so why hadn't Kaede said anything? Was Kikyou the one that was giving Kaede all these little tidbits of information she always seemed to have about Naraku?

My mind had just come back from wandering when I found myself standing at the door of Kaede's hut. I pulled back the sheet and found darkness. Letting my eyes adjust I first began to notice outlines, then shadows. After a moment figures came into view and the hut seemed to be illuminated by a soft blue light in my eyes. I spotted Kaede and decided against waking her. That old woman needed her rest. I sat down next to Kagome's sleeping figure and leaned up against the wall. I crossed my arms over my sword and let myself fall into a light, dreamless sleep.

It wasn't very comfortable, nor was it the best way to rest. But it was the best way to be alert if something should come prowling into the village during the night. In the past I had spent countless nights stalking the forest surrounding the village, attacking demons that so much as came close to the huts and their inhabitants. I did this because I was Kikyou's protector. I kept her safe from the evil youkai that wanted the shikon-no-tama. Now I did it not only to protect the villagers… but also to protect the dark haired angel that was fast asleep a few inches away from me. I had once been Kikyou's guardian… but now I belonged only to Kagome.

The morning sounds of roosters crowing and birds singing woke me up. It was still rather early since the hut was still quite dark. I saw a lone figure in a corner of the hut. It was Kaede. She was up already and making medicines for the town folk. I stood up quietly and made my way to her. I sat down in front of her small medicine table and began telling her everything. I told her about meeting Kikyou, told her that she would be back, and told her how Kikyou had mentioned that I not mention it in front of anyone. Kaede nodded thoughtfully and returned to her work.

"So Aneue will return in two days. Good. I'll be waiting." A hint of a smile flickered across the edges of her mouth. Had I been looking elsewhere I would have missed it. "Hey! What's going on between you two? Has she been coming here often?" I found myself practically yelling.

"You will do good to keep your voice down. I remember Kagome-san gets rather cranky when you wake her up suddenly."

I opened my mouth to yell, remembered Kagome sitting me an endless amount of times for waking her up once, and closed it tightly.

"And if you must know… my sister has never come to visit me. This shall be the first time in ages that she'll be coming. She is my sister after all. I have just as much a right to see her as you do."

"See who?"

My blood went cold. The hair on the back of y neck stood up and I accidentally dug my nails into the floor. Ever so slowly I turned my head to see Kagome rising out of her sleeping… sleeping… sleeping… I forget what it's called, but she climbed out of it and walked over to us.

"See who?" She asked again, this time in my direction. My face began to feel hot. What do I say? Come on old woman say something! Kagome leaned in closer to me. She inspected my blank stare and then looked away, a glare forming on her face just as she turned. She crossed her arms in front of her.

"Kikyou."

The air I had been breathing suddenly turned into rock solid matter, stopping my heart for a second and threatening to kill me of suffocation. I couldn't breathe.

How did she know? Was it written on my face? I finally exhaled and looked away.

"Keh! So what? So she stopped by to see Kaede and I saw her. What's that got to do with you?" I felt her stand up. I couldn't see her since she had been behind me the whole time, but I could feel her presence right behind me now. Sweat started to build on my forehead. Damn, and I had gone for so many days without it! I braced myself.

"OSUWARI!"

My face made contact first… it always does. I fell to the wooden floor and was plastered there for a second before I could get up. After the effects wore off I got up and stabbed a finger in the air, absolutely fuming… she was crying. My accusatory finger came down. I turned and realized that everyone had woken up. Damn! There I go being the bad guy again! I stormed out of the hut and set off into the forest at a run. I really wasn't paying attention to where I was going; I just wanted to get out of there before the yelling started again. That was the main reason as to why I crashed into the fallen tree on the path that hadn't been there last night.

Tumbling head over heals I fell, slowing down to a stop when another tree broke my fall. I stood up and gazed at the large hunk of wood in the middle of the road. I walked over to it and kicked with all my might. It shattered into little pieces and made my foot pulse painfully. Great. Now I had a headache and a hurt foot. I wobbled away angrily and ended up by a stream. I drank a bit of water and dipped my wounded foot into the cool liquid. It was good for the pain, but still rather cold. As a matter of fact it was too cold. Way too cold for this weather. Now it was freezing!

I made to pull my foot out but found that it had been encased in ice. I looked down both sides of the stream and noticed that it had completely frozen over.

"What the hell?"

I flexed a hand and clawed at the frozen water. Not even a scratch. I was about to pull my tessaiga from its sheath when I heard a voice.

"Foolish human… it's no use trying to escape… your soul is mine!" I turned my upper body in the direction of the voice and first saw a pair of emerald green eyes followed by a blinding flash of light. Then a steady stream of blood escaped from my left leg, the one that was out of the water, as I grasped my tessaiga…

END CHAPTER


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

My arm pulled back trying the free my tessaiga from it's sheath but was stopped halfway when it hit the demon's chest. I swung my hand around and swiped my claws at it. In the blink of an eye the armored chest disappeared. I quickly put my right hand back on the hilt of my sword and waited… I waited for the demon to show itself.

"Ehhh… a hanyou? Looks like I'm in luck."

I turned again and again as much as I could but couldn't see anyone. The strain on my foot was becoming apparent as I could feel the muscle stretching and the bone beginning to break. One particularly loud snap made me stop. I sat there on the edge of the stream, waiting for another sign of movement or sound.

""That's it hanyou… just give into me. You cannot break the curse binding your leg. You will be devoured and there is nothing that can be done about it."

I waited patiently, my head bowed. I was listening as hard as I could… listening for any kind of sign as where the demon might be.

Listening…

Listening…

Listening…

There!

In a flash of brilliant white light I pulled my tessaiga and sent a white-hot energy blade crashing into the trees beyond the banks of the stream. Amongst the roaring of the trees collapsing to the floor I heard another sound. This one was a bit more subtle. It was a short gasp followed by an even shorter screech of pain. I wasted no time in carving my foot out of the frozen water. I would be easy prey for demons if I stayed to stare at the scenery.

I bounded into the forest with a block of ice still clutching at my feet. My movements were sloppy and lop sided, but at least I was no longer stuck in one place. I hated being caught… It gave demons a chance to take my weapon… and my true demon form a chance to take over my body. I didn't like not being in control.

I raced through the forest as fast as my one good foot could carry me. I imagine that I looked rather funny hopping from tree to tree while trying to stay balanced on one foot. I dug my claws into a branch and twisted enough so that I was shot down to the ground. Aside from the ice boulder digging deep into the ground I figured it was a pretty graceful landing. I sniffed the air.

A demon scent hung heavily in the wind. I knew what that meant… I was being hunted. Careful not to show any strain on my face I started walking normally. The pain was killing me… but I wouldn't let the demon know that.

"To cut through my unbreakable ice, that sword must be pretty strong… interesting."

I swung around and pulled the hilt of my tessaiga close to my head so that the tip of it was pointing at the demon.

Before me stood a demon about twice my height. It's black hair was braided over it's shoulder and it's decorated armor, which had a slash through the midsection where my attack had hit, looked like something a king would wear. On closer inspection of the face I noticed that it was a male demon, his eyes were a darker shade of green now, not the jade I had seen earlier. By his side was an oddly shaped staff. It was curved slightly and appeared to be flat instead of well rounded like Miroku's. I took note of that considering that youkai weapons always seemed to have a surprise or two about them. I also noted that this demon carried about three different swords on his person. On strapped across his back that I couldn't see, and a katana with kodachi on his left hip.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Setzu the Sword." That explained it. "And I have decided to give you a chance to keep your life if you agree to become my slave. With a yojimbo (bodyguard) carrying a sword like that, I'm sure no other demon would dare attack me."

He spoke with the same irritatingly calm tone as my older brother, Sesshoumaru. That only told me that this was no ordinary demon. But… why did he need me as a bodyguard… why ask a lowly hanyou to protect you?

"And what is your name?"

I stared at him for a second. "Keh, what's the point in telling you my name if you're about to die." I snarled a little bit too defensively. I pulled my tessaiga back over my shoulder and charged at the demon.

"You choose death over enslavement… that is admirable… but foolish!"

The demon pulled the two blades from his hip, which in an instant clashed together to fend off the power of tessaiga. I pushed down with all my strength, finding it difficult to push through the giant youkai's defense. I gave it one more heave, found it useless, and pulled back with a double somersault. I landed oddly on the ground and glanced down at my foot.

Damn! In the split second I had taken to glare at my handicap the demon had closed in on me and was sweeping his longer katana across my midsection. Pain erupted from my stomach as I leaned back to dodge most of the blade. In turn I brought up the tessaiga to attack his now vulnerable side, but in an instant the smaller blade, the kodachi, was parrying my attack with an unbelievable strength.

I pulled back my sword and tried to step back, but my trapped foot gave out under me. My head was the first thing to hit the floor followed closely by my back. I could see the demon pull back his sword and knew I only had about half a second to react. I swung out the block of ice on my foot and clubbed it against the youkai's head.

I tasted blood. I had been biting down on my lip to escape the pain. Never mind that. I was still in motion and had to stop myself. Digging my claws into the ground I was pulled for a second by the momentum of the strike then came to a stop by the stream.

I glanced back down at my new weapon and smiled. It hurt like hell, but it was useful.

Again the youkai was on his feet and advancing quick. I pulled back my tessaiga and concentrated my energy on the hilt. Letting a smile escape the corners of my mouth and blinking against the light that was enveloping my blade I put a leg forward and swung with all my strength.

"Kaze-no-kizu!" It was one of my most powerful attacks that involved striking where the two demon auras met and releasing a destructive energy wave that was nearly impossible to stop. And with the demon attacking me head on there was no way he would dodge it in time. It was perfect… Or at least that was what I thought before I saw the youkai's injured form pushing through the energy wave with difficulty and determination.

"No way…" I was too shocked to defend. In the past demons had dodged, weakened, and even countered my Kaze-no-kizu… but they had never gone straight through it.

"I win, hanyou!"

The attacks were simultaneous. With his two blades in hand he first slashed an X across my chest and then rammed them both into my body. One blade went in just under my heart and the other straight through the center of my chest. And just when I thought the pain couldn't get any worse he reached behind his back and pulled out a double-edged sword, taking careful aim at my face.

Hell no… I was not about to let some second rate demon finish me off like this.

I waited for him to strike, and just when he did I used what little strength I had left in my body to side step the blade and grasp onto his arm. From that point on the demon's own momentum did the work. He flipped over my hip and fell flat on his back on the other side. I pushed my claws through his flesh and demanded the release of his sword. When it clattered to the ground I knew better than to try and get it. Using my tessaiga I swung down and snapped the blade in two. I then took a few half assed steps backwards, dug my own sword into the ground, and pulled out the other two that had been embedded into my body. My legs almost gave way as I growled in pain, feeling the cold steel slide out of my chest. I looked the demon in the eyes as I felt his weapons crumble like paper in my hands.

"Looks like you're out of swords… so unless you can pull one out of your ass I suggest you prepare yourself for death." It took a great amount of strength to say that little taunt… but it was worth it. I pulled back once more on my tessaiga and charged sideways, ignoring the pain that pulsed through the holes in my body.

At that moment it was simply customary to yell, "Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" Boy did I feel stupid when the demon not only caught my blade with the palms of his hands, but sent me flying into a nearby tree by pushing back on the tessaiga. I crashed into the tree and toppled sideways. I looked up and noticed the demon was walking calmly towards the staff he had left unattended during our battle.

Damn! He still had a weapon left… but it was only a staff… and since the other ones had been so easy to destroy this one would be no challenge. My legs trembled under my weight as I stood up slowly. I picked up the tessaiga, which I had dropped when I had slammed into the tree. Pain engulfed my body as I half walked, half dragged myself to meet my adversary half way… but something made me stop. The youkai's scent suddenly became heavier and his aura became darker.

"What the…?"

His aura pulsated as he pulled the staff from the ground, and then, before my very eyes, made it longer. I shook my head vigorously. No… he wasn't making the staff longer, my eyes were playing tricks on me… he was removing something.

My eyes widened when I realized what it was. He was removing… a sheath.

"This, hanyou, is why they call me Setzu 'The Sword'. You will be the first in 50 years to taste my demon blade forged from my very body. You should be honored." He held out the long katana before him… I wasn't sure what they were called, but I remembered old Toutousai having one in his shop once.

"Inuyasha… there is something you must remember when dealing with these weapons…" 

Damn it! Why didn't I ever listen to that geezer!

I gave a curt smile. "Keh… why should I be afraid of a lousy demon sword?" I was secretly hoping that he'd remind me of what Toutousai had tried to warn be about before.

It was the demon's turn to smile this time. "You shall see hanyou… are you ready?" He looked down at my foot and gave a frown. "You cannot amuse me with that thing on you." He snapped his fingers and I felt the icy block of water fall to the ground with a splash. At the moment I was relieved… but then I thought better of it. If this guy was giving me a chance to move freely then he was pretty confident in his abilities. I prepared myself for anything.

"Let's go." Was all I said. No more taunts, no more sarcasm. This demon had gone from being a third rate nuisance to becoming a threat to my life and the lives of my friends that would eventually come looking for me. It was time I got serious.

With my body in turmoil I knew that my speed had been greatly reduced, but there was still a chance. And after a few seconds it presented itself.

Before my very eyes the demon began to draw his youki into the sword. The silvery blade began to glow orange, then yellow, and finally a white-hot color.

"Feel the wrath of Setzu The Sword! Die, hanyou!"

In that instant he disappeared. I knew there was only one place he could have gone to disappear like that. I looked up. There he was framed against the sunrise. He pulled back his blade and then fell suddenly, arcing towards me.

"Ohugi!" (Ultimate attack)

The blast came down at me at an incredible speed. My guess was that since it came from overhead it probably only seemed to be faster than normal. Nonetheless I pulled back my tessaiga and leapt up to meet the giant energy bolt head on. I carried my tessaiga over my shoulder. I was getting closer. Static popped around my haori and the heat emitting off the bolt was hitting my face without mercy. I pulled my tessaiga off my shoulder and looked for the correct spot to hit.

There!

I swung hard, concentrating my attack on the vulnerable spot in the energy bolt…

"BAK-RYU-HA!"

A flow of bright winds twirled out of my sword. The two attacks collided and mingled; creating a mass of wind funnels that directed themselves towards my nemesis. His eyes widened and he put a hand over his face. I then watched as he emerged into his true form. A bright light consumed him as the attack struck and then, amongst the chaos of whirlwinds, his form shifted. His arms pressed against his body and disappeared into his sides. His legs fused together and grew outwards. His armor broke off, clattering to the ground before him. This new threat then rose to twice his original size, coiling himself as he did.

Damn it… he cut the effectiveness of my attack in half by transforming right before impact. I followed through and leapt forward, aiming for what I assumed was the head of this creature. I was seconds away from impact when another limb knocked me sideways into the trees. I broke through a few tree trunks and then bounced off the ground before I could regain my balance. The searing pain was making it difficult to concentrate on the enemy.

It was then that I saw it. The huge form before me that waiting for me to attack again. I shook my head and smiled darkly. It was a simple yet powerful creature. One that was sure to give me a bit of trouble. I looked up at the diamond shaped eyes in the reptilian head. Of all things… a damn snake.

I pushed myself back up to my feet and poised myself for another attack. This guy was going down no matter what.

I took a few steps forward as if to attack and in an instant reaction the serpent coiled back and flung it's open mouth forward displaying a rather sharp set of fangs. I quickly leapt backwards and waited for the head to make contact with the ground. Once I saw the demon slam harmlessly into the forest floor I leapt over it and dug a set of claws into its smooth scales.

The head rose above the ground and thrashed around with all of its might. I held on for a second before I was bucked off and sailed through the air in a free fall. Seconds later I gritted my teeth hard as the snake's fangs plowed into my side. The dark smile never left my face.

I raised the tessaiga and drove it right through the demon's right eye, causing it to cringe in pain and let go of its prey. Falling again I gripped my sword tightly and shoved it into the snake's belly, using it to slow my descent. I was moments away from the ground when I turned to free my blade and touched down flawlessly. Above me the giant snake was still squirming from the pain. I leapt up and pulled back my tessaiga about to stab at what I figured was the center of its body when the tail wrapped itself around my left leg and pulled me back on the ground.

I felt my body bounce off the ground when I hit. I hit once more, this time a bit softer, and was looking up into the eyes of the serpent.

"I'm not finished yet asshole." I commented through gritted teeth before I picked myself up and pulled back a bit.

Blood poured from my wounds and congealed on the floor in a large puddle. The stench was nauseating.

I took a few steps forward, feeling my feet cross through the crimson puddle onto dry ground. Raising my tessaiga again I crouched low and concentrated.

The tessaiga pulsated as if to understand what I was asking it and then began to crystallize. No matter how many times I did this it was always great to watch. He transformation would begin just above the hilt and would spread over the entire blade like sunrise over the forest. In seconds I was holding a sword that glimmered in the morning sun. Rapid pulses coming from the hilt told me that it was gathering energy. I slid the blade sideways and crouched lower to a point where one of my knees was almost touching the ground. I could feel the power resonating from my sword as I struggled to concentrate on the attack. After a second I was oblivious to the pain and blood loss.

The demon, noticing that what I was doing was no mere light trick, moved in for the kill. Little did he know that it was only making it easier for me to hit more accurately. A grin spread within me just as I released the power of my sword. I grasped the hilt tightly with both hands and, still in the crouching position, shot one leg out forward and swung the tessaiga in a huge arc, making my attack wide so I would have a better chance of hitting my target.

"KON-GO-SOU-HA!

Brilliant white diamond spears propelled themselves from my blade towards the giant snake at an incredible speed. A large amount missed, but with my severe injuries and impaired judgment that was to be expected. The attack was never meant to kill the demon, but only to immobilize him long enough for me to deliver a killing blow.

The youkai was thrown back, tumbling into the trees from the sheer magnitude of my strike. I pulled myself together quickly and leapt up into the air, noticing that his head was rising as I descended up on him.

"Just die already!" It felt appropriate to urge him on since he had been such a difficult match. I gripped tightly on my sword and tensed as I felt the distance between the demon and me close rapidly. This was it.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

My eyes widened. Out of the corner of my left eye I saw a little girl bounding towards the giant snake.

Time seemed to slow down. The distance was still closing, but now it seemed like an eternity.

Who was this little girl?

Was she also a demon?

Why was she here?

In the micro second that I used to blink the distance between the demon and me seemed to close. I found myself looking right at the diamond eyes in the head instead of the blood soaked fangs lining its mouth.

I didn't know what came over me that moment. Maybe it was because this demon had earned my respect by being so hard to finish off… maybe it was because of that little girl… hell, maybe it was just a frickin' accident! But instead of cleaving the demon in half like I should've… I turned my blade sideways so that the broad side simply hit him very, very hard.

The blade bounced off the giant skull and came to rest back on my shoulder as I landed on top of the unconscious snake. The girl came rushing to its side. I leapt off and started limping away.

"…Wait."

I stopped. Was she talking to me?

"…"

I turned around. The girl was now kneeling over the fallen demon that had turned back to his human form.

"… Thank you… for not killing my father."

My eyes widened

Father!

END CHAPTER


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE----

Father!

I stared at the girl that was sitting by still form of Setzu The Sword. Was she really his daughter?

Looking closer at her I noticed that what appeared to be bright yellow hair was actually a shade of silver that was glowing yellow in the sunshine.

Silver hair… Was she a hanyou?

I sheathed my tessaiga and turned back around. "Keh! He was just getting on my nerves. No reason to kill him."

I tried walking away.

"He wasn't always like this you know." She said behind me. "My father is actually a very gentle youkai."

I snorted.

"It's only that since lately there have been rumors of a demon roaming the country side absorbing others has he been acting like this."

I turned back around. "Look kid… I don't really care why he attacked me. The fact that he didn't kill me's good enough for me. I've got things to do." Her response to my little speech was a tiny gasp. I didn't care what it meant. I just wanted to leave.

"…Inu… Inuyasha…?"

My ears perked up at the sound of my name. Stupid!

"You are Inuyasha… aren't you?"

I turned around once again. This time my expression was a bit calmer. "Yeah… what of it?"

The girl looked back down at her father lying there. "I've heard many stories of a hanyou that is after this demon. A strong Inu Hanyou that carried his father's demon blade and goes by the name of Inuyasha."

I looked closely at her. Was she blushing? Man this girl was weird.

"I… I… I… "

She stopped talking and looked away. How annoying.

"Spit it out already!" I couldn't stand it.

"I'm Ka… Kawaiken. This is my father… Setzu…"

"Yeah, I already met him." I interrupted with a hint of annoyance in my voice. Well, it wasn't like I was mad at the girl, but I wasn't about to start beating on the half dead demon lying beside her.

"I… I'm sorry for the way my father acted!" The girl bowed in front of me. It was then that I noticed the blade on her back. I leapt a few feet to the side and grasped the hilt of my tessaiga. A growl escaped my lips and I focused my remaining energy on the blade. I had to finish off this little conniving bitch before she got a chance to strike. If she tried to fight me I wouldn't stand a chance in my condition.

"Oh…" She looked behind her. "I'm sorry… I just carry this around… I don't even know how to use it." The girl quickly untied the string holding her sheath in place and let it fall to the floor. The sword clattered to the floor.

What the hell was wrong with this one? I couldn't tell if she was seriously dropping her weapon or if this was just a trap. I didn't take any chances. With my hand still on tessaiga, I walked over to her.

"Move away from it."

She stood up in a flash and moved away. "Is this far enough Inuyasha-sama?"

What the… Inuyasha-sama? This girl was getting weirder and weirder by the second. I moved away slowly, trying not to show my confusion.

"W… Well… Looks like no reason for me to stick around. See ya." I turned once more to walk away, but I stopped when I heard her grunting behind me. Damn it! I knew what I was gonna have to do.

I sighed and turned around. I irritably walked over to the girl and grabbed her father's arm, slinging the passed out demon over my shoulder.

"Inuyasha-sama…" I looked down and the girl was looking up at me.

I growled at her. "Where do you live?"

She stood up slowly, picked up her sword and her father's weapon as well. "This way." She walked into the shrubs and I followed.

We walked for a few minutes until we came to the outer walls of a small village and walked up to the gates. I half expected to go around, but was surprised when the girl pushed against the massive gate and waltzed right in.

"What are ya, stupid! You can't just walk in here and…" I fell silent when my eyes focused better. The streets were littered with bodies, most likely villagers. I instinctively growled and took a step back. The girl looked at me.

"It's ok Inuyasha-sama; they have all lent their souls to father so that he can become stronger."

Her words didn't comfort me at all. I dropped the old man and took another step back. I didn't understand why I was so angry, but all those humans… all those bodies…

" It's not as if they're dead Inuyasha-sama. Father is only borrowing their souls so that he can protect me. You see…" She trailed off. I followed her gaze to the front doors of the biggest house in the village. A mansion that I assumed was in the very center. From my point of view everything was normal.

"What?" I asked in an irritated tone. She stood there for a moment and then acknowledged my presence by pointing at the front doors.

"I left those closed this morning."

I looked back at the doors and realized that they were wide open. I knew that this couldn't be good.

What followed was more of a reaction than a movement on my part. I felt the ground rumble and instantly sensed the youki coming out of the doors towards us. I grabbed the old man by the arm and the girl by the waist and jumped straight up.

Below me the ground was split in two as an energy wave slashed across the earth and crashed into one of the village's walls. It instantly crumbled and the wave continued into the forest.

I landed on the roof of a house and set down my two burdens only to look up just in time to see another energy wave slam into the hut I was standing on. We all fell and were buried in the rubble below. Then everything went black.

My eyes shot open. It was dark. A stabbing pain was all around my head, but when I tried to lift my hands to see why, I found that I couldn't move. I focused hard on what had happened. I had carried the girl and her old man to the top of a house and…

… It all came together in an instant.

"RRRRUUUUUUUUAAAAHHHHHH!"

I pushed myself up and got the debris of the house off me. I was pissed off. Thick smoke filled the air as I located the girl. I checked to make sure she was ok and moved on to the old man. They were fine. I leapt out of the smoke and stared in the direction of the mansion. A huge cloud of youki was hanging over it.

"C'mon! Show yourself! Are ya chicken!"

I knew that I stood no chance against an enemy that remained hidden. There was no reply however.

"Well if you're not coming out, I'm coming in there after you!"

I coaxed. Again no reply. I unsheathed my tessaiga and the bright glow told me that it had grown into the giant fang I've come to know well and trust my life with. As long as I had tessaiga I wouldn't lose. I gripped it tight.

"Yo- shi! Here I go!"

I charged towards the open doors hoping to see my enemy before getting to the threshold of the large house, but I wasn't so fortunate. No sooner had I stepped into the entrance hall had another energy wave appeared out of nowhere. I tucked, rolled, and got back up, running towards the area where the blast had come from. I smiled.

"There!"

I had felt it before I saw it. A presence just beside me with a tremendous youki. I swung my sword and unleashed an energy wave of my own at the attacker. At the same time another wave appeared and countered my own. The explosion knocked me off my feet.

When I got back up there was a large crater just a few inches away from me. I immediately leapt over it and locked blades for the first time with…… The girl.

She was standing just bellow my sword with her eyes shut and her sword, still sheathed, was blocking my swing. I stood next to her and I could feel one of my eyes twitching uncontrollably at this irritable girl.

"What the hell's your problem! Get out of here and let me handle this!"

She looked at me with her innocent scarlet eyes. "I want to help." Was all she said. I wanted to scream at her some more and tell her just how dangerous demons can be, but I just shrugged and turned around. "Did you see the demon?" She didn't answer me the first time.

"Did you see it!" I asked again more forcefully this time.

"Yes." Came her small reply. It was almost as if she didn't want to tell me. "I saw who attacked you."

"Well! Out with it!" I was resisting the urge to smack her when a bright light told me another energy wave was coming our way. I quickly grabbed the girl and leapt upwards toward the ceiling. My claws made quick work of the wooden roof, slicing it to pieces and allowing us to get out of the house.

I put the girl down and ran forward, trying to estimate just about where the last had come from when the roof suddenly caved in around me. This time I was ready though. As I fell into the house my tessaiga ran the length of my body and created a blast between me and the floor. The power of this attack then propelled me sideways towards where I had last felt the youki. I looked up and took good look at my attacker as I rocketed towards her.

She was tall, probably taller than me, and she was surrounded by a very calm aura as I sped towards her. She wore a long crimson red kimono with a golden embroidering. She looked something like royalty to me... definitely not a youkai exterminator. Her hair was held up by elegant hair pins and the sword in her hand emitted a powerful youki that surrounded her almost like a barrier.

When I smashed into the youki wall I realized that it actually _was_ a barrier. I bounced off the barrier and fell to the floor. I got up to the kneeling position and flipped backwards to put some distance between us, but just when I landed my eyes focused on the blade that was pointing menacingly at my throat.

She was fast.

At this moment she started to speak. "Where..."

But she was never able to finish her sentence. As a conditioned reaction, when my eyes focused on the blade before me I brought up my right hand, the one clutching my tessaiga, and clashed the two weapons together to get the sword as far away from my neck at possible.

The impact forced the woman back and spun me around to the point where I had my back to her and was kneeling on all fours staring at the ground.

That power! I had fought that before! The instant that the blades touched I had felt it. That youki was very familiar to me. Was it Naraku! I dismissed the thought. I knew Naraku's youki very well and this wasn't it. So where did I know it from?

My thoughts were interrupted when I noticed my shadow growing longer and longer as the blue light that was casting it grew larger and larger. My eyes opened wide.

Shit! Another attack!

I only had one chance. With my left hand I pulled tessaiga's sheath from my belt and thrust it behind me. My only hope was that the sheath would be strong enought to absorb the attack.

For an instant it seemed to be working, but then I felt myself being pushed forward. The momentum of the attack put me through a wall and sent me rolling on the hard ground. When I got up and focused I realized that I was outside now. The hole in the wall where I had crashed through was silhouetted around the woman.

"You're trying my patience... Where..."

"Keh! That's patience!" I interrupted.

My legs felt wobbly under the weight of my body. I tried to ignore the pain I was feeling from my wounds I had received earlier.

I crossed my tessaiga in front of me and stood in a defensive stance.

I stood there for a second, waiting for her to attack again, but it never came. She looked at me as if annoyed and sighed heavily.

"Are you gonna attack or am I gonna have to go over there and make you?" I taunted.

Her eyes burned and she gripped her sword tightly. I noticed how it pulsated as if obeying a command. She then slashed forward and a wave of energy very much like my own attacks swept the ground towards me.

That sword! That thing was the source of her power!

I charged forward and cleaved the tessaiga through the line of power, breaking it in two and slicing a path to my enemy. When I was close enough I jumped upwards and came down hard on the woman. Using my tessaiga, I swung at an arc long enough to catch the sword, but not long enough to hurt the woman behind it.

She let out a yelp as the sword was ripped from her hand and flew outside. I landed right in front of her with my tessaiga over my shoulder.

Who is this woman?

I was about to start asking questions when she suddenly took several steps back and pulled the pins out of her hair. She held them in her left hand and placed her other hand over them. She then closed her eyes and started muttering something. I knew that this couldn't be good so I lunged forward to end this fight.

Her eyes sprung open before I could get to her and the hair pins in her hands glowed with a tremendous amount of... That wasn't youki.

Spiritual powers!

I quickly dodged the first pin, but the second one caught the tessaiga in the center. As I'd expected the large fang's youki dissipated and it shrunk to it's original form.

Damn. This wasn't an ordinary demon... demon... youki...

I looked hard at her. I couldn't sense any youki! Was she a human! No... Impossible. The only humans that could unleash such powerful spiritual powers were...

She was a miko!

I lunged sideways and jumped up through the hole I had made in the ceiling. Once on the roof I looked around for the girl. She was gone!

Was this all a set up?

I didn't have any time to think about it since the roof around me again began to collapse. I leapt forward and over the roof's edge and landed on top of something soft.

"Ouch!"

I looked down. It was the girl. My temper flared and I grabbed her by the arm.

"If you don't tell me right now what the hell is going on I'll..."

"Unhand her!" I heard from behind me.

When I turned around a dagger almost slit through my cheek. I dodged sideways and kept the girl behind me.

"Listen to me! Don't let that woman's weapons touch you! She's a priestess! Don't let..."

The girl stood up and I stood up too, attempting to shield anything that might come her way with my fire rat cloak..

"Mama! Stop it!"

My eyes widened for the third time today. I turned around and looked more closely at the woman holding razor sharp daggers between each of her fingers on both outstretched hands.

"Mama?"

END CHAPTER


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR----

The word "Mama" echoed in my mind as I stared at the woman before me. There was no doubt about it... she was a miko. I kept me left arm in front of the girl to offer what little protection my fire rat cloak had against the miko's daggers, but kept my right arm straight in front of me, pointing the now untransformed tessaiga at the woman.

"Kawa-honey... where's your father?" She suddenly spoke.

My mind went into a spin trying to figure out what she was saying, who she was talking to, and what her true intentions were all at the same time when the girl from behind me replied, "He's outside. He's hurt pretty bad Mama."

A scowl formed on the woman's face and her eyes flared at me. "This was your doing, wasn't it..." In an instant she let her daggers fly. I dodged sideways, pushing the girl along with me, and striking the last dagger to pass me with the tessaiga, changing it's course just enough for it to miss my shoulder.

"Hey! If you're talking about the snake demon, HE attacked ME! I just fought back!"

The woman seemed to grow more angry at my remark and thrust her hands into her kimono, pulling out more daggers. I kept my stance defiant and kept the girl behind me.

"Mama! Stop it! He's not here to fight!"

The woman apparently couldn't hear the girl because she let another set of daggers fly at me, this time with a more deadly precision than the last. There was only one chance and I took it on instinct. I grabbed the girl's hand, pulled her to me, and leapt as high into the air as I could. The deadly little knives missed my feet by inches.

Once in the air I grabbed my tessaiga by the blade and threw it down at the woman, hoping to knock her off balance. She moved sideways to dodge the sword, but ran right into a piece of wood that was jutting out from the broken mansion wall.

Huh... That was easy.

As I set down on the ground the girl ran out from behind me and knelt down next to the woman. Her worried look was pretty authentic from my point of view. I walked over to the tessaiga and took hold of the hilt. Instantly the blade flashed brightly and transformed into the giant fang. I looked from the knocked out woman to the hanyou girl kneeling next to her, to the mess we had made in their house and shook my head.

"Well... I got ya home kid. See ya." I turned and ran a few steps before feeling a horrible pain on my face and chest and falling backwards onto the floor. I sat up rubbing my sore nose and looked at what had hit me. After examining my surroundings I turned to the girl.

"What the hell is going on!"

She stood up and walked over to me. She passed me by a few steps and raised a hand, letting it rest on an invisible wall that I hadn't seen.

"It's one of mother's attacks. She never lets demons get away from her so she sets up this barrier to keep everything inside it... inside."

I glowered at the woman lying on the floor. "How do I get out?"

"You can't. Not until she regains consciousness and takes off the barrier herself."

My ears twitched. This was getting annoying. "So I just have to wake the old hag up and I can leave, right?" I pulled up my sleeves and walked over to the woman. I looked down at her. Her eyes were very soft compared to how angry they had been a few moments before. She looked at peace. It was almost as if she had been sleeping all day here in the sunshine. Her scent caught my nose. It was of an older woman, but she looked fairly young to me. Young and at peace... sleeping comfortably in her yard... not a care in the world.

"WAKE UP YOU STUPID OLD HAG!" I yelled as I shook her violently.

Her eyes fluttered open and then flew wide when she saw me looking down at her. I instantly backed up a few steps and tightly grasped the hilt of my tessaiga. It was then that I became very aware of the numerous wounds on my body and the fact that they hadn't closed properly yet.

Keh... It must've been all the jumping around.

"Take whatever it is that you want... Just leave my daughter alone." The words were strained and carried a sense of regret. I could tell that this woman was ashamed. She was ashamed because I beat her. And in her own trap nonetheless. I looked over at her. She didn't seem like the type to give up easily. I studied her posture carefully, wondering where she'd pull weapons out of next. When I was sure that she wouldn't attack me I removed my hand from my sword's hilt.

"I would have left LONG ago... but this stupid barrier of yours won't let me!" I plopped myself onto the ground. "So I had to wait for your ass to wake up."

The woman then stood up. She was shorter than me, but looked taller than Kagome. Her long dark brown hair, which was now hanging loosely behind her, reminded me somewhat of Sango's hair. It was only the intense look in her eyes... That look of utter disgust and hatred that reminded me of a miko... of Kikyou.

Yes Kikyou wasn't my enemy anymore, and every time I spoke to her she did seem more convinced of the idea that I didn't kill her... but that didn't help the image that had been burned into my memories forever. The image of Kikyou when she was revived by some crazy bitch. Back then she didn't know about what had happened and attacked me instantly.

I shuddered at the thought and cast it aside. It was something that I would rather not remember .

"Inuyasha-sama... Are you ok?"

I looked do my side and the girl was standing next to me.

"Of course I'm not ok! Since this morning I've been attacked, hurt, chased after, used as a packing mule, attacked AGAIN, and used for target practice!"

I was genuinely pissed off. I just wanted to leave.

"I just want to leave."

The girl looked down at her feet and then up at the wall across the garden, which ended abruptly for me where the barrier started about halfway.

"... I'll do it mama. You need some rest."

My eyes shot open. I was now completely confused. The girl walked around me and put up her hands like if she was praying. Then she separated them and to my surprise the barrier shone brightly for a second and then disappeared before my very eyes.

"You mean you could have done that all this time!"

I wasn't just mad because she had lied... but even more mad because I didn't understand. How could this hanyou be a priestess? Was that even possible?

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha-sama."

I noticed out of the corner of my eye that the woman froze when she heard my name. I was about to round on her and tell her that if she had a problem she can take it up with me, but she was shaking her head and staring at the floor.

"I see. No wonder Kawa-chan trusted you." She looked up at me, but that only messed me up even more. Her eyes weren't full of hatred anymore. She actually looked nice... like a mother should look.

"Keh, you got a problem with me?" It couldn't be helped.

"I'm sorry if my husband caused you any trouble. He has been rather paranoid since he heard about this new threat to demons and humans alike. You see, he only does it to protect us."

"Humph... Listen lady... I already said that it's no problem. Now I got to go find my friends. See ya."

I waved my hand behind me as I leapt over the wall. I couldn't help but notice that the old man wasn't where I had left him though. I shot up into the air a little more and spotted him limping towards the giant mansion.

"How pathetic." I paused after finishing my little insult. My smirk widened. For a second there I had sounded like my demon brother.

"Heh... I wonder what the assholes's doing... Probably baking cookies with Rin or some shit... prick."

I laughed to myself. The all might brother of mine wearing an apron made me shiver.

While running I thought about what had just happened. I had originally left the village to escape an angry Kagome, but had ended up getting attacked by some weird youkai. After that his daughter needed a bit of help to carry him home... and there I ran into her mother... who also attacked me.

"What a twisted family. Keh... to think... a demon with a priestess..."

I stopped abruptly when I finished that sentence.

Demon... Priestess... Kagome was a miko... and I was half demon...

I shook my head and dismissed the thoughts that clouded my vision. Was it really that inappropriate for a youkai to mate with a miko? I started running again when my head cleared.

As I ran along the river where I had been I started to catch the scent. My nose wrinkled and I inhaled deeply. Yep... no mistake about it. It was that scent... Kagome's scent. I cut off into the woods and found her looking around the forest with her bow in hand and her quiver on her back. I leapt from tree to tree and finally landed next to her.

"Yo."

The air in my lungs was forced out of my body when she leapt at me and put her arms around me neck.

"Inuyasha! Where have you been all morning! I was worried about you! Don't do..." She fell silent when she noticed the blood on my undershirt.

Damn.

"What happened?"

I looked away. "Nothing I couldn't handle."

The sad little look she gave me ate away at my icy exterior... but it would be a huge pain in the ass to explain everything that had happened up 'til now. Besides, she'd probably get bored half way anyway. I sat down and Kagome sat down next to me. She pulled at my haori and I had learned that meant for me to take it off so she can pine over my wounds. I removed it and she instantly started gasping and murmuring to herself.

"Where's Miroku and Sango?"

I asked instinctively, wanting to set her mind on something other than my cuts and bruises.

"They each took different directions to go looking for you... Inuyasha... I'm sorry."

My ears twitched. It had been a long time since I'd heard Kagome apologize to me for anything. This wasn't a happy moment though... Her voice wasn't one of sincerity... it was one of defeat. Like if I'd beaten the words out of her mouth. It just made me feel worse.

"For what?" I decided to play dumb.

"You know... for yelling at you back at Kaede's." My ears twitched again.

"Keh! I can't even remember what it was about."

It was about Kikyou.

"Hmm... Well, I need some bandages from my bag to patch you up... let's go back."

I stood up and helped Kagome to her feet. Before I could take my haori back though she folded it up nicely and crossed her arms over it. When I tried to protest she just started walking off ahead of me. Heh... damn woman... she didn't even care that her shirt was getting dirty.

We walked side by side in silence all the way back to old Kaede's village. As soon as we got there I headed for the old lady's hut while Kagome went to get some herbs for me. I walked in and sat down. Shippou was inside messing with some of his toys and Kaede was making some weird medicine that smelled like burnt fish.

Kaede looked up at me. "I trust you had a nice walk, Inuyasha."

I turned to the old woman sitting in the corner.

"You've been gone most of the day. It is very unlike you to be goofing off."

My blood boiled. "Hey! And who the hell said I was goofing off ya old hag!" I opened my shirt to show my already healing wounds. "It's not like I got these from a game or something!" I threw myself backwards to lie down and then sprung back up as the pain shot up through the cuts in my back.

"I guess I'll sit then." I mumbled more to myself then anyone else.

Kagome came in after a while and started making some paste which she applied to my wounds. I didn't know if the stuff was to make me better or just put me in more pain. Maybe Kagome wasn't sorry about what had happened earlier. Maybe she'd just wanted to get me back so she could put that crap on me.

"Ah! That hurts stupid!" I pulled away but she just followed and put more.

"Don't be such a crybaby! It'll heal your cuts faster and helps against infection!"

Keh! Like could ever get an infect... OW! Cut that out!" I shifted sideways a bit then stopped. I sniffed the air.

"Miroku and Sango are back." I looked at the door and watched as they both entered. They looked at Kagome and I, then at each other, and smirked. I hated it when they did that shit.

"And where the hell were you two?" I asked a little too loud.

"Looking for you of course... but we knew you'd only come to Kagome-sama." Miroku gave my a sly little grin that I particularly disliked. My body reacted instantly and I punched him in the head.

"Shut up leach."

Sango sat down and looked at my wounds. "What happened? Did you two get into a little lover's quarrel?"

Again I punched Miroku in the head.

"What the hell was that for!" He asked as he held his head in his hands.

"Shut up." I said through gritted teeth.

I looked out the window and noticed that the day was half gone. My eyes narrowed. Half a day gone and I hadn't even tried to look signs of Naraku yet.

Naraku.

That name was something that was etched in my memory. It represented a demon so vile and disgusting that my hand instinctively reached for the sword at my belt every single time I heard it. While other demons dreamt of soul snatching and world conquest, I was stuck in a single moment that had once torn Kikyou and I apart so many years ago. I was living in a nightmare.

"Inuyasha?"

I looked up. Apparently Kagome had been talking to me.

"Huh?"

"What's wrong?" She asked me in a light voice that was almost a whisper. I looked around. Everyone was staring at me. That was when I realized that my right hand had wandered over to the hilt of tessaiga and was shaking violently.

"... Nothing." I released the sword and stared out the window again.

"Well as I was saying... I found more..." At this point I stopped listening and started feeling useless again. A few minutes ago I had felt alive and in control, but now it was back to feeling like a child among adults, begging for attention.

"Inuyasha..."

I turned towards Miroku.. "Yeah, what?"

"Did you run into any demons while out on your little walk?"

My memory flooded with images of the snake guy, his daughter, and his crazy wife. I remembered the swords he carried, the weird way his daughter looked at me, and the fact that his wife was a miko. I remembered the scent of their village and the sting of that barrier I had run face first into. Visions upon feelings upon scents piled onto my brain as I recalled the events that had taken place earlier today.

"Nah... nothing dangerous."

The monk looked at me and then out the window at my blood stained haori that Kagome had hung to dry and shook his head.

"Well then. It seems that according to..."

The monk's voice again faded from my ears. I wondered if it was ok to let those demons go. I had known from the beginning what would happen if I told everyone about them. I could already hear them formulating some sort of stupid hunt or rescue to go and exterminate the snake guy and his family. I shook my head softly. That snake guy... it wasn't like if he was bad, just trying to protect his kid and his mate. That was ok by me.

I looked at Kagome. She was listening to Miroku and nodding her head. A cute little smile had formed on her lips that seemed to captivate me for a minute, but the instant that she turned to me I snapped my head so hard I thought it would come off. I was now looking at the floor and my neck was in dire pain.

"Hmmmm?"

I could feel her eyes on me, her steady breathing filled my ears and her scent took over the room as I tried desperately to ignore her. It was no good. Finally I gathered up the courage to look her in the eyes.

"What the hell are you looking at?"

The cute little smile was gone. My eyes flew open as I realized what was going to happen next. Trying desperately to get away I made for the window.

"Oswari!"

The rosary shined and then dragged me down to kiss the floor. My teeth chattered at I slammed into the ground. I took a few seconds to collect myself and then looked up at Kagome. I was holding my nose.

"You know... that wasn't very nice at all." She said.

Kagome stared at me and I felt like if there was something I should say. For one long second I stood there and then reacted. I had had enough. This damn rosary was always her way of communicating nothing but anger towards me. It was originally put on me so that I wouldn't attack anyone, but lately Kagome would just use it when I pissed her off. It was time that I said my piece about this stupid thing.

"I've got a real problem with this thing you know! It doesn't do anyone any good and it just gives you a way to punish me for the stupidest things you can think of! And I ain't moving another inch until this thing comes off!"

Kagome opened her mouth to respond but I didn't give her a chance.

"I'd rather chop my head off than keep this piece of crap on my neck a second longer!" I grabbed at the rosary and tugged it to prove my point. I could hear Miroku and Sango whispering to each other and Kaede sighing, but I didn't care. I wanted it off.

"Fine! If this thing doesn't come off I don't leave!" With that I stomped out of the hut and ran into the forest.

It took me a few seconds to reach my favorite tree, which was ironically the one that I had been sealed to for a bout fifty years. I thought that maybe I should have this thing, but it had the best view of Kaede's tiny village. No matter where a demon would attack from I would see it from here and head out for the kill. It really was a good spot.

"Stupid rosary, and with the whispering, freakin' monk, I'd like to put one on him..." I was mumbling to myself when I got to the tree. Of course I knew that they wouldn't take this stupid necklace off of me, but it just pissed my off too damn much that for stupid little reasons Kagome would sit me and sometimes repeatedly.

I sighed heavily. Now that I was sitting on top of the tree and looking down at the little huts I kind of felt stupid for acting that way. After all... it was my fault that this thing was on me in the first place.

I closed my eyes.

In the distance I could hear the people closing up their huts to get ready for nightfall. I could feel the sun's heat cooling as it set over the horizon. And I could smell Kagome's scent as she made her way over to me. Without trying my mouth turned into a frown. I knew what she was coming out here to do. I braced myself and got ready to feel the pain, but it never came. I looked down. Surely she was here by now.

"Inuyasha? Can you come down here?"

Her voice was tiny and fragile. I let myself fall out of the tree and landed next to her. I wish I hadn't. From so close I could see the tears that were welling up in her eyes. I could also smell the salt water scent that drifted from them. The instant that I saw that I felt like beating myself an inch from my own life. I was the lowest of the low for making Kagome cry.

"I... I... I'm sorry. I didn't know that you hated the rosary so much. I just..."

Damn it.

I knew what was coming next. Any moment now she was going to burst into tears. I couldn't let that happen or I'd hate myself forever.

Not knowing exactly what to do, I did the only thing that my mother had done for me when I cried... I hugged her.

I could hear her gasp in my ear and I could feel her heart race through my shirt. Her scent filled my head and I almost felt like if I was floating. Then... I talked.

"I'm the one that should be sorry. I'm sorry I yelled at you Kagome... Please forgive me."

I didn't know exactly why I said that, but it had worked. She wiped her eyes with her sleeves and looked up at me. The tears were gone and only a thin little smile appeared on her face to replace them. I looked away into the forest. Doing my best not to turn red, I pulled her away from me and sat down with my back to the god tree.

"Are you going to stay out here tonight?"

Her voice was still very fragile, but now it was much more relaxed.

"Yeah."

"Do you want me to keep you company?"

My ears twitched. Of course I did. It would be better than sleeping alone out here in the cold.

"Nah... I'll be fine. Besides, the runt's probably already asleep in your sleeping thing already."

"You mean my sleeping bag?" She smiled.

"Whatever."

I stood up and pulled on her arm gently. "Come on... I'll take you back before it gets dark."

At that instant I froze. Pulling Kagome behind me, I looked into the forest and bared my fangs.

"What is it?"

"Just stay behind me."

I looked into the trees trying to make out shapes in the darkness of the shadows. It would have been easier during the day or at night, but right now, the overlapping orange and red colors of the forest made it difficult to see.

"Inu... Yasha... Sama."

The voice I heard was surprisingly familiar. I looked around more and then heard the thump as a body fell to the ground. I lunged forward and rushed by the girl's side.

I knew the voice had been familiar.

"Oy! You ok? Oy! What happened!" I turned her over and blood spackled on my cheek. On her chest was a large round wound.

"Shit. Kagome!"

In an instant she was by my side.

"Oh my god... what happened?"

That's what I'd like to know."

I picked up the girl and Kagome and ran to the village. At Kaede's I collided with the blanket that served for a door and tore it to pieces so I could see where I was going. A room full of wide eyes greeted me as I set the girl down before the old woman.

"Hey, this girl... do something." Was all I could manage. My mind was somewhere else. In another village. A village I had been to recently. A village where the lord was a demon and the lady was a miko.

"Inuyasha... what has happened?" Kaede looked at me while she moved around getting herbs and pastes to put on the girl's chest.

"She was in the forest."

"Inuyasha... sama. My... father... I beg... you."

I nodded to the dying girl and turned around.

"Oy, hag... don't let that kid die. Kagome... stay here and help her. Sango, you stay too to protect the village along with Shippou. Let's go monk."

Without another word I stepped outside. There was something bothering me about her wound. Outside Miroku caught up to me and we set out at a run.

"Are you going to explain to me what just happened?"

I didn't turn to look at him. I look straight forward as I ran at a steady pace. "That kid's old man is a demon... a snake demon. That snake demon has a pretty useful ability of turning souls into power for himself."

The monk looked on too. "The power to... you mean like Kikyou?"

"No. This snake guy can turn souls into jyaki. Into actual demon power. The more souls he has... the stronger he becomes. Kikyou's different. She just needs them to move."

We ran in silence for a moment.

"And why are we rushing out to... Where are we rushing out to?"

"The girl's village... her old man should be there."

"And why are we going there?"

Her wound flashed before my eyes. "Because that would on her chest... looks like the same that I got once... from Naraku."

END CHAPTER


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5 -----

The sound of our robes ruffling in the wind was the only thing I heard as Miroku and I got closer to the village. The monk, though lecherous and sometimes a little cowardly, was the only human aside from Sango and Kagome that I would ever fight back to back with.

"Do you feel that?" He asked quietly when we reached the clearing just before the gates of the village. I looked at the area and took a short sniff.

"No, but I can smell that bastard's stink all the way out here. Naraku can't be far."

We passed the field quietly and made a straight line for the gates, which were lying flat on the ground. The monk then started to slow down.

"Now Inuyasha-san, let's formulate a plan so we can…."

Screw that.

I leapt forward, easily leaving the monk far behind and crossing the threshold of the destroyed perimeter of the village.

"Naraku! Show yourself you dirty son of a…" I froze. Lying in front of me was a woman in priestess clothing. Her cold metallic weapons were speard around her silent body. Her hair was splayed on the ground and covered most of her face as well….. and she was obviously dead.

I didn't feel Miroku run up beside me, nor did I hear him speaking about how our best bet was to head straight to the center of the village. All I could see was the woman lying before me.

_"Take whatever it is that you want... Just leave my daughter alone."_

… I heard her voice.

_"I see. No wonder Kawa-chan trusted you."_

… I had seen her not too long ago, alive and well.

_"I'm sorry if my husband caused you any trouble. He has been rather paranoid since he heard about this new threat to demons and humans alike. You see, he only does it to protect us."_

… She had spoken so kindly to me before, now here she lay, silent and motionless.

My hands trembled uncontrollably.

'Why….. she's got nothing to do with the shikon no tama.' "Neither does the snake or the girl for that matter….. DAMN IT!"

It was only when Miroku put a hand on my shoulder that I realized I had been talking out loud. I shrugged it off angrily.

"Let's go."

As I ran past the lifeless woman I caught a glimpse of her face. It was something that I had not wanted to do. I shuddered.

"I'm gonna kill that bastard." The words came out muffled through my gritted teeth, but I knew the monk understood me very well, because his pace quickened.

We made it to the center of the village and entered the large house by cleanly jumping over the wall and landing in the inner courtyard. There in the center of the courtyard stood two figures, one man with a shimmering barrier surrounding his mangled body, and a giant snake towering over him.

"Ahhh….. Inuyasha." The battered form spoke.

My hand instinctively tugged on the sword at my waist and unleashed the Tessaiga with a flash of light. I plowed it into the ground, gouging it deeply to emphasize my anger.

"Naraku….."

He laughed coldly and I noticed that the snake, though watching intently, didn't attack.

"You have a knack for interrupting me at crucial moments. I was just telling Setzu sama here about how powerful my shouki can be, and how both his daughter and wife will a most painful death unless he lets this Naraku absorb him."

I bit my lip hard, "You lying bastard! I just passed the old priestess seconds ago! You killed her you son of a bitch!"

The cold laughter continued. "Did I? Well that's too bad. And I venture to guess is she's dead…. Then the troublesome little girl….."

The snake strike was so fast that I couldn't even follow it with my eyes. It struck Naraku's barrier over and over, trying relentlessly to break through and get at the smug animal cowering inside.

He's gonna need help.

I felt the anger rising in me. _They had nothing to do with this!_ Looking straight into the center of Naraku's barrier, I gripped the Tessaiga tightly. _They didn't have to die!_ I concentrated on that one spot and invoked the Tessaiga. _I'll make you pay, Naraku!_

"You bastard! KON-GOU-SOU-HA!"

I felt the Tessaiga recoil as the hail of diamond spears shot out at their target. In an instant they completely demolished the barrier that surrounded Naraku. Just before I leapt forward though, my heart sank to the pit of my stomach as I saw the snake repeatedly strike out at the gray baboon pelt. That second I knew what was going on.

"FUCKING COWARD!"

I ran towards the pelt and quickly rummaged through it. Deep within the fold I found what I was looking for. A small wooden doll with a hair wrapped around it.

"It appears he was never here in the first place." Miroku's voice sounded like it came from across a field. All sounds and feelings fell victims to my rage. I held the doll only a second before crushing it in my hands, letting the dust fall on the empty pelt.

"Why……"

My head whipped around. The snake had reverted to his human form, and was nursing a large gash on his side.

"My woman….. and my little one….. They had nothing to do with that bastard demon…."

I walked over to him. For a powerful demon he looked pitiful kneeling on the ground with blood dripping down his side.

"That bastard doesn't care about the means; he only likes to get what he wants."

Even my own voice sounded distant and shallow.

"….. It shouldn't have happened. Not to them……" Those were the last words the snake said to me, or to anyone ever again.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER 6 ------

It took us a while to properly bury the snake and the priestess. I didn't really want to. Every time I looked at the woman I remembered what Naraku had done to Kikyou so long ago. It hurt to look at her.

Damn it.

We finished our work in silence and then turned to go back to the village. I almost hesitated, remembering what Naraku had said about the girl.

"_Did I? Well that's too bad. And I venture to guess that if she's dead…. Then the troublesome little girl….."_

I shook my head hard. The last thing I wanted at that moment was that sick fuck's voice in my head.

"Inuyasha-san?"

I tilted my head. Miroku was just a little ahead of me and looking back.

"There was nothing that we could have done. We received word of the incident too late…"

What the hell was he blabbering about?

"Shaddup."

I had already known.

"Keh! Let's just go back."

I had refused to help them.

"Yes, let us go see how the girl you found is fairing."

I might as well have killed them myself.

DAMN IT!

The way back was also quiet. I refused to talk about anything that had just happened. Miroku, being the smart monk that he always is, had already come up with several reasons as to why Naraku had attacked that particular village. I didn't care to hear a single one.

We crossed the threshold of the small hut quietly and walked over to the small group huddled around the fire looking over a figure lying on the ground.

"How is she?"

Sango looked up at the monk and then at me. "It's still too early to tell… she absorbed a great deal of shouki and her ability to heal doesn't seem to be as good as Inuyasha's."

I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was forcing herself to keep from asking what happened at the village. I ignored her looks and walked over to where the girl was. I noticed then Miroku hold her arm and gently pull her aside. I knew he was going to fill her in on what had happened. On how the girl's parents were killed…..

On how we couldn't even do anything.

On how_ I_ couldn't do anything……

"Inu…. yasha?"

I looked down. Kagome was giving me a frightened look. Damn it. Was I so upset what I was making a face scary enough to frighten Kagome?

I softened my expression and looked over at the girl. Her breathing was very rough and the wound in her chest was still bleeding openly.

" …_Then the troublesome little girl…" _

"Bastard." I tried to stop myself from saying it, but I was too late. Kagome looked up at me again, questioningly. I could also feel Sango's eyes on my back. I had to get out of there.

"I'm gonna go check around to make sure we weren't followed." With that I walked out.

Of course we hadn't been followed, but I didn't want to be the one to tell Kagome that the girl didn't have a chance in hell of surviving. I didn't want to be there while that kid suffered so much because I was too stupid to help.

I didn't want any of this.

Like many times before my feet unconsciously carried me over to the spot where I'd been sealed for fifty years. I leaned on the enormous tree and let myself slide down to the ground and let my head rest in my hands.

Almost instantly my mind started filling with voices and images.

"_Allow me to introduce myself. I am Setzu the Sword."_

"_I win, hanyou!"_

"… _Thank you… for not killing my father."_

"_I'm Ka… Kawaiken. This is my father…"_

_"Take whatever it is that you want... Just leave my daughter alone."_

_"I see. No wonder Kawa-chan trusted you."_

My muscles tensed and my claws dug deep into my forehead.

Damn it!

Blood trickled down my face and masked the single tear that slid down my cheek. That night my hatred for Naraku grew ten fold and I made a vow on the blood that dripped from my chin that I would never let any of this happen to my friends. I vowed that I would protect them with my sword and my claws.

The scent was faint at first, but it soon filled my nose as she got closer to the spot where I sat.

… Kagome.

I quickly jumped up into the tree and looked away from the direction she was coming in.

"Inuyasha?" Her voice was small and delicate.

"What?"

"It's the girl…"

I knew it. She had come to tell me…

"She's awake."

My eyes sprung open.

"HUH!"

I jumped down, completely forgetting about the blood on my face. Landing only feet from Kagome, I turned quickly and let her climb onto my back, ignoring the look on her face when she saw me up close. Then, with a single kickoff to clear the hill the god tree stood on, we rocketed towards the old lady's hut.

As we entered I noticed Miroku fast asleep in a corner and Sango nodding off while tending to the girl.

"Inuyasha-sama!"

I stopped dead when I heard her voice.

Shit!

I knew then that nobody had told her what had happened. I reluctantly made my way over to her and sat down close by. She immediately started asking questions.

"Where am I? How did I get here? Is that a priestess? How's the village? Did you go see my father? Is he ok? What about Mama?"

I cringed at her last questions. I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to tell her what had happened.

But I did.

I explained about how we found her mother first, about how then headed to the mansion and found her father fighting with Naraku. I told her about Naraku intending to absorb her father and then all about who Naraku is. Finally I told her about the wooden doll that we found in the empty baboon pelt and the burial of her mother and father.

And then she cried.

I didn't stay long for that. I just stood there for a second and then walked out, leaving Kagome and Sango to comfort the girl.

I didn't get far before I felt his presence closing in.

"Awake for that, were you?" I asked.

The monk stopped beside me and looked straight into the forest ahead of us.

"What he has done is unforgivable." From the corner of my eye I could see the cursed right hand being raised to eye level before Miroku's face. "He brings pain and loss into all those he meets…" I could see his hand shaking uncontrollably. "Inuyasha-san… We have to put an end to him once and for all."

I almost laughed at the monk's comment. Like I needed him to tell me that. I didn't laugh however. I just looked straight ahead and nodded.

"Yeah, we do."


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7 -------

I woke up one dark night to a familiar scent lingering in the air around my perch in the god tree. A hint of a smile crossed my face.

Of course. It's been two days already.

Rising from my sleep I moved swiftly and silently across the forest towards the village.

Ever since the girl had come to the village I had been spending most of my time outside. My overwhelming guilt wouldn't let me face her. So I would come up with stupid excuses to sleep outside and away from everyone. I even kept Kagome at a safe distance.

I stopped at the entrance of the village, looking around the dark for my targets.

"Where are they?"

As if to answer me, a sliver of light appeared on the other side of the village and lingered for a moment before vanishing again. My feet moved instinctively and took me across the village towards the lights. I knew of only one creature that could give such an eerie light like that.

Kikyou's shikigami.

I found Kikyou and Kaede talking in a secluded area of the village by a small shrine and was quick to step in and interrupt them. I jumped off the roof of a hut and landed quietly in front of them.

"Keh! Sneak around like that and people will think you're up to no good, Kikyou."

Neither of them looked surprised to see me, and that was normal. They must have noticed me coming from across the village.

"So rude Inuyasha, will you never lean any manners?" The old lady remarked. I ignored her comments and went straight to Kikyou. I had my reasons for being there.

"Oy, what have you heard about Naraku?"

Kikyou looked at me, calm and serene as always. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't joke with me. I know you know things that you aren't telling us." I paused to make sure what I'd said made sense.

"Now out with it! Where is that son of a…"

Kaede shut me up with a raised hand. "Inuyasha, quiet down. If you insist on listening then I can't stop you, but don't wake up these poor people, they have a long day ahead of themselves tomorrow."

I glared at Kaede, but nodded in agreement. Then I crossed my arms and stood there waiting for them to continue their conversation.

After seeing that I wouldn't interrupt anymore, Kikyou began. "As I was saying, there have been many incidents in the north involving very strong youkai. Apparently someone has been exterminating them. And not only youkai, but also guardian spirits."

My ears perked up.

"Guardian spirits?"

Kaede looked at me. "Yes Inuyasha, your suspicions are correct. Setzu the Sword was a guardian spirit. And I believe it is safe to assume Naraku has been behind all of the other exterminations as well."

"What the hell's a guardian spirit?" I found myself asking.

Kaede let out a tiny laugh. "Ah, Inuyasha, you are still young I see. You have no knowledge of such things."

I looked up. "Would you spare me the sarcasm and just tell me what it is old hag!"

Kikyou was the one to explain. "A guardian spirit is one that is connected to a certain place or person. That connection is known as a Guardian Bond. It means that if what the Guardian is connected to should be destroyed, the Guardian is destroyed as well."

I took a moment to think about what was said.

"So demons can be guardian spirits." I said quietly.

"Not just demons. Humans can also take the role as a Guardian. It is common among priests and priestesses. It is actually rare that a guardian spirit attaches itself to a demon, but it is not unheard of." Kaede answered.

We all remained silent, trying to piece the information together.

I scratched my head and thought. It was no use. My head wasn't made for thinking. After only a few seconds I gave up.

"Ah! This doesn't make sense to me." I closed my eyes and flung my arms in the air to show my exasperation.

Kaede cleared her throat. I opened one eye and looked at her.

"Gettin' sick there, hag?" I knew she wanted me to leave, but I wasn't about to make it so easy.

"Well I believe that covers the subject of Naraku, Inuyasha." She said, practically shooing me away. I plopped down on the ground.

"Bah! This doesn't mean I'm done thinking hag, could take all night, ya know."

"Inuyasha, please." Kikyou's voice sent chills down my spine, and not in a good way.

"Ah whatever. I know when I'm not wanted." I stood up. "Oy, you hear anything else about Naraku you make sure to tell the old woman." With that I turned to walk away.

"Be well, Inuyasha." I heard from behind me.

"No worries Kikyou or you'll end up all wrinkly like the hag there." I called back.

I spent the rest of the night walking in circles around the outside of the village and thinking about the conversation earlier.

"Guardian spirit, huh? Sounds annoying."

Finally at dawn I made my way to the god tree and leaned against the trunk, letting my mind clear and closing my eyes for a bit. I enjoyed the peace and quiet of the early morning.

I opened my eyes a little while later to find the sun had already risen high into the clouds. Rubbing my eyes I stumbled down the hill.

"How long was I asleep?" I asked myself.

After almost falling flat on my face for the third time I slapped myself a few times and shook my head, willing myself to wake up.

"Ah, Inuyasha-san. Where have you been all day?"

"None of your business monk." I answered. Knowing Miroku he'd more than likely find it funny that I'd still been asleep until a little while ago.

"Well maybe you can help me. I'm looking for Kawa-chan and I can't find her."

Huh? Kawa what now?

"Who?"

"You know. Kawaiken. The girl that we've been looking after."

My entire body froze. What! She was gone!

"What the hell! We've got to find her! Who knows what that crazy Kidd will do! She'll go after Naraku for sure!"

"But…"

"Shaddup and help me find her! You go this way and I'll go that way!"

With that I ran towards the forest at full speed.

Shit! If something happened to that kid I'd never forgive myself!

I hadn't gone very far into the forest when I caught her scent. It was faint, but I knew that she couldn't be very far off. I followed after it all the way to a clearing and found her curled up under a rotting tree log. I was seconds away from dragging her out of there by her feet and yelling at her for running away and trying to get revenge for her parents on her own when she saw me and crawled out, smiling broadly.

"Ah! Inuyasha-sama! I didn't know that you were playing too!"

I knew my face had gone red and could feel the big vein in my forehead throb violently.

Playing! What the hell did she mean!

"Playing! What the hell do you mean!"

She looked at me, her expression blank and innocent. "It's a game that Kagome-sama taught us. We have to go hide and someone has to come look for us. I haven't lost yet!" She stated proudly.

That stupid poor excuse for a monk!

"That stupid poor excuse for a monk! I'm gonna get him for this!"

I let out a deep breath and looked down at the girl. She looked confused.

"Monk? You mean Houshi-sama?"

Houshi-sama? What the hell?

"His name's Mir… Letch, his name's Letch. That's what you should call him, kid."

"Letch-sama… I see."

I smiled inwardly at my cunning wit. "Well since I found you let's go back, I'm starving."

She smiled at me. "Hai!"

I turned around and started walking back with the little girl in tow. For some reason I was reminded of my twisted older brother and the little tag-along girl that was always with him. I shuddered at the thought.

"I hope that doesn't happen to me."

"What Inuaysha-sama?"

"Ah… nothing. And it's not sama, just Inuyasha, kid."

"Hai!"

The rest of the walk back was quiet. The girl occasionally asked me a question or two, but to my relief didn't ask me anything about her parents or her village. Looking at her closely she seemed about as old as Kagome's little brother, maybe a little older. She had a very refined way of speaking, almost as if she was royalty or something, and the sword that hung behind her back on her belt looked very expensive.

When we returned to the old lady's hut I hovered over a brewing pot in the center of a low fire. I really was starving. The only ones there at the time were Kagome and Sango. Sango was cleaning her hiraikotsu and Kagome was pouring over some of those "books" she always had.

"Kagome, what's this?" I asked as I continued to look at the pot, hoping it was food.

"It's not lunch time yet Inuyasha. You're gonna have to wait since you were gone all morning."

I crossed my arms. "Keh! Not like I wanted any of your bad food anyway."

"Fine then, you don't get lunch!"

"Ah! Baka! Don't suddenly decide that I don't get food!"

I ducked just in time to feel a book fly over my head and slam into the wall of the hut. I looked up and stuck my tongue out at Kagome only to taste the second book she had thrown.

It didn't taste very good.

"I'll get my own food then!" I said as I stormed out of the hut holding my nose.

"Inuyasha-sama, can I come with you?" I heard the girl yell.

"Do whatever ya want!" I yelled back.

Seconds later I heard the pattering of her feet as she ran to catch up to me.

I spent the rest of the day catching fish at a stream near by while the girl played in the water. After I ate my fill I went back with the little girl still following me quietly. The sun had already set by the time we got back to the hut.

"Ah, welcome back Inuyasha-san." Miroku was already at the hut when I got back.

I didn't waste time in smacking him over the head.

"What was the big idea telling me that the kid ran away!"

Ouch! I protest that I never said such a thing."

"Ah Shaddup!"

I sat down in the corner and placed my right arm over my Tessaiga, closing my eyes. I could feel the girl sit down next to me.

"Inuyasha"

I opened my eyes and Kagome was offering me a bowl with soup in it. I took it.

"Ah! Looks delicious Kagome-sama!" The girl's nose was practically in my bowl.

"How annoying! Here, take this one." I gave the bowl to the kid and looked to Kagome for another bowl, which she gave me with a smile I'd never seen before. It was breathtaking.

"What! You got a problem!"

It was amazing how quickly that beautiful smile turned into a scowl.

"SIT!"

And I'd almost gone a whole day without that.


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8 --------

"Onii-chan…"

I opened my eyes lazily, trying to adjust to the darkness of the hut. It was night time and the only light was the faint glow of the moon coming from the only window. I sleepily turned to the figure sitting next to me.

"What?"

"I think there's something outside."

"Ah, how annoying." I muttered and sniffed the air sleepily. "There's nothing there. Go back to sleep."

I lay my head back down but I could feel those tiny scared eyes burrowing holes into the back of my head.

... "Damn it! Fine! I'll go check it out!" Harsh whispers was all I could manage. No need to wake the others to comb the area for imaginary monsters.

I got up and quietly went outside.

It had been more than twenty days since Kawaiken had come to stay with us, and she was picking up on all of my habits. She would sleep sitting down with her sword on her lap and would take it with her everywhere she went. She would sleep lightly and her hearing, or rather should I say her "way" of hearing, which was like a snake, feeling vibrations in the air (a trait from her father), was much sharper than mine. Too sharp to the point that this kind of thing happened often. Occasionally she'd follow me on my usual walks around the village, always pointing out weird plants and herbs for medicines that she'd learned from the old hag. She'd even started calling me "Onii-chan" (brother), which annoyed me to no end.

I stepped onto a large branch in a tree and crouched down. Damn, there was definitely something out there.

"You've gotta admit she comes in handy." I laughed to myself.

Sniffing the air I noticed a dry, ashy scent. This wasn't a youkai, but it couldn't be a human either. Peering into the darkness of night, it soon gave way to shapes and forms. Trees and bushes swayed in the semi-light my eyes distinguished… And then… another form swayed differently.

My eyes focused on the thin figure stumbling through the trees, slowly making its way to the village. I jumped down and ran the length that separated us in a heartbeat.

A thick aroma of ash and burnt flesh filled my nostrils that caused me to stumble and almost fall flat on my face. I skidded to a stop and watched the figure come into the moonlight.

Whoever this was didn't want to be seen however, because they stopped just outside the ray of dim light that came down between the trees. I watched it, the hand over my tessaiga twitching anxiously, and then it spoke.

The voice was more in my mind than around me, but it wasn't mine and it filled my head slowly how water would slowly fill your hands on a rainy day, eventually spilling out.

_Are... you... the hanyou?_

The voice was slow, thick and distant, but growing louder with each syllable.

_My master... wishes to see you.. master is most interested in you... hanyou. _

I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end… something wasn't right about this guy.

"Who's this master? Have I met him before?"

_My master knows you well hanyou... master also knows of your friends and your foes... master knows all. It would do you well to heed his call._

"The hell's that supposed to mean?" I asked, irritated that someone out there was watching me. I crept closer all the while, trying to make out a face in the darkness.

_It is only my duty to bring you to my master... that is all. _

I hesitated, then turned my back. "Get lost. I ain't going anywhere with you."

_It is not your CHOICE Master commands it... hanyou. _

I didn't like that tone this thing took with me. It echoed in my head and felt like a nest of bees was buzzing around in there. I suddenly felt the urge to resist even more. Without turning back around I spoke over my shoulder.

"Yeah? Well tough shit. I go where I want. Go back and tell your _master_ that."

A sudden draft brought the stench so close I could swear this guy was standing right behind me.

"Huh?"

I jumped sideways and shot up a tree. This guy was fast. In the blink of an eye he had gotten across the patch of moonlight and was now standing where I had been standing before, still veiled in darkness.

"… the hell?" I gasped in surprise.

_We will do this the hard way then... hanyou._

"It's what I do best! And I have a name dammit!!"

I jumped off the tree and cleaved downward, thinking of cutting this guy in half before he could move again.

Time slowed, I could feel the wind ruffling my robes, striking my face, and I could feel my hands moving faster than my body as Tessaiga cut through the air around it, as if in a hurry to get to my enemy.

Then it all stopped.

In mid air my strike came to an end. My sword and my body were both jarred as my foe stopped tessaiga's blow with one hand. For an instant we were frozen. Me in mid air grasping my blade with both arms, muscles flexing pointlessly, and him with his hand holding tessaiga back effortlessly. For the second time in as many minutes the unanswerable question emerged from my very core and escaped my lips before I could bite down on it.

"... the hell?"

Then he swung his arm sideways and sent both tessaiga and me flying through the forest.

My back was the first part of my body to make contact with the surrounding foliage, believe it or not that was a good thing.

As I heard the tree I crashed into splinter, crack, and finally break under the force of my momentum, not only was I slowed down considerably but the pain cleared my mind. This was no time to be surprised. This was no time to wonder what that thing was. This was serious.

This was what I was best at.

Ok. So you can't be sliced. Let's see if you can be pierced.

I turned myself in mid air and planted my feet on the second tree that would have otherwise caused me more pain. Letting my knees absorb the shock and then using the sway of the bending trunk to my advantage, I straightened my sword and steeled my body, feeling the switch in movement as I catapulted back the way I came.

My target was passing the first fallen tree when we met in a mid-air collision. For the first time I had a face to match the voice in my head.

Even now I wish I never did.

As we collided and tessaiga plunged into the creatures chest, the moon burst out behind the clouds and flooded the small clearing with its eerie light. In front of me was a man… A dead man…

A burnt man.

Nausea swept through my insides as the foul smell of burnt and decaying human flesh struck me head on shortly before it was cut off as a bony fist rammed into my stomach and sent me careening back into the ground.

"Ah sick!"

The overpowering smell made my eyes water and even made me forget that I'd just been slammed about three feet into the dirt. Whoever this guy was he was no pushover. Something like this called for strategy… and I usually skipped out on those talks for obvious reasons.

As if to answer my summons, the wind suddenly picked up to a deafening roar and put the creature off balance, giving me enough time to push myself up and roll out of the way. At the same time, from the opposite side of the clearing a disc popped out from between the trees, gaining momentum as it was pulled along from the powerful windstorm.

I didin't skip a beat. Without thinking twice, I ran in too, taking my play directly behind Sango's hiraikotsu. I could hear bones breaking as the anti-demon weapon collided with it's target but, just as I figured, after some strain the giant boomerang was flung aside and tore through some trees before getting picked up by a quick moving shadow.

_Such… a pointless stru…_

The words in my head were cut short as tessaiga buried its point into the creatures' head. The wind instantly stopped and me feet found the ground. Using this guy's own strength against him I sliced straight down and put all of my weight into it, knowing that his body wouldn't fold just like it hadn't from my first attack.

"Inuyasha-san, please step back!"

I didn't have to be told twice, gathering my feet under me I vaulted backwards, landing a few yards away. In seconds the sound of fluttering robes announced Miroku's presence right next to me. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the monk lift his right arm and remove the beads. I quickly clamped down on it.

"No! I want him alive! This guy's got some questions that I want answers to!"

Miroku didn't move to pull free but quietly said "This isn't something that was can restrain Inuyasha-san. Look."

I turned my gaze back at my attacker and watched as the two pieces that I'd left him in began to knit back together. It was sickening watching the muscles and skin re-entwine after having been cleaved in two.

I let go of Miroku's arm.

"Kazanaa!"

Soon all that was left of the clearing was a few strewn trees with no leaves to speak of. Sango leapt out from the shadows, her boomerang slung over her shoulder. "What was that thing?"

I turned over and both the monk and the demon slayer were staring at me expectantly.

"What? You think _I_ know what that thing was?!" I turned and started walking back to the village.

"Inuyasha-san?"

I didn't turn around, but kept walking toward the village.

"That kid. She knew something was out there, and it was too far away for even her to sense… something aint right here. Let's go back"

There was a slight hesitation, but soon the quiet sounds of Miroku and Sango's footsteps could be heard behind me. They were close.

But hopefully not close enough to notice the shiver that went up my spine when I heard the voice in my head echo again. This one was thinner, quieter, but at the same time much more sinister than the first.

_Just as I expected hanyou. Just as I expected and much, much more. Yes… you will do quite nicely._

_(A/N: Due to popular and persistent demand I've decided to continue this story to its end.)_


End file.
